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    Saturday, September 5, 2009

    LONGER-TERM HORMONE THERAPY APPEARS TO BE THE STANDARD OF CARE IN ADVANCED PROSTATE CANCER

    Research suggests prolonged chemical castration may be needed to suppress prostate tumor-fueling hormones.

    There is, however, much debate regarding the appropriate treatment for tumors that have metastasized to both prostate lobes. While androgen-deprivation therapy has increased patients' survival odds, those subjected to the treatment for extended periods of time often experienced hot flashes, a sluggish libido, and other unwanted side effects. But this much appears certain at this time.

    Prostate cancer patients need three years of treatment known as chemical castration to suppress the production of tumor-fueling hormones and improve their chance of survival," according to researchers in France who had hoped that "cutting back on the drugs would provide the same benefit as longer-term treatment." What they found instead was that "patients treated for six months were more likely to die than those on the drugs for several years."

    So, the French team decided to see "if six months of androgen suppression could provide the same benefit as three years of treatment, but with fewer adverse effects. Study participants "had confirmed but nonmetastatic prostate cancer in either T1c to T2a-b clinical stage with pathological nodal stage N1 or N2 or stages T2c to T4 with clinical nodal stages N0 to N2." Following "external beam radiation, all of the men received six months of androgen blockade with a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogue -- started on the first day of radiation -- and a daily antiandrogen agent started a week earlier." Six months later, "patients whose disease had not progressed were randomly assigned to no further treatment (and formed the short-term therapy group) or to another 2.5 years of androgen blockade with the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogue but without the antiandrogen agent." Altogether, "970 men were randomized -- 483 to short-term suppression and 487 to long-term suppression."

    By study end, investigators noted that "the five-year death rate of men in the longer-treatment group was 15.2 percent, compared with 19 percent for those in the shorter-term treatment group,"

    COMMENT
    :
    These results pretty much mirror those of a similar American trial according to Dr. Eric M. Horwitz, of the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, who led the group that did the US study of 1,554 men who were followed for 10 years. That work revealed that the disease-free survival rate for the short-term group was 13.2 percent, compared with 22.5 percent for those treated longer." "We have long believed that longer-term hormone therapy is the standard of care, and "these studies support that belief.


    Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice.
    For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.

    *Tune in later for THE DANGERS OF ACID REDUCING MEDICATIONS LIKE NEXIUM AND OTHER PPIs-.

    Deepen your understanding of "medical malpractice"... www.MedMalBook.com

    For more health info and links visit the author's web site www.hookman.com

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